Improvement in mail-bags



EMM/ff! f f o 0 e 'i n! o www@ d "PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTOND C @uitrit tstes @strat @Hire vEDWAltD STEVENS AND 'JOHN A. KNIGHT, Ol"ST. LOS. MlSSOURI. Letters Patent No. 70,480, dated November 5, 1567.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAIL-BAGS.

TO ALL WIIOM IT HAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, EDWARD STEVENS and JOHN- A. KrUGH'r, both ofthecity and county oifSt. Louis, and State of Missouri, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Mail-Bags; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and clear description thereof, reference beinghad tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

This invention relates, firstly, to an improvement in the bag itself,whereby its clearly-defined angular corners give it all the advantagesof the wooden box, while the yielding nature ott the leather or other`brous material of which it is constructed secures all thc benefits ofthe old leathern mail-bag; secondly, the invention relates to a belt orstrap for retaining in their proper positions the several packages oi'letters within lthe bag, and also to the partitions which subdivide theseveral packages of letters one from another. There is also, inconnection with this partition, a peculiar retaining device whichsecures it to the enclosing-strap.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our improvedmail-bag, \\c will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure I of the drawings is a perspective elevation of one of theimproved bags, in which view a portion of the side of the bag is brokenout, so as to disclose the interior arrangementsof the saine.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of one of the dividing partitions. 1

Figure 3 is a transverse section of the partition, showing more fullythe device for securing it to the strap.

A is the mail-bog, the mouth of which is closed by means of the strap a,passing through metallic loops al, and secured by means of a padlock,(not shown.) This bag isv to be constructed et' leather, canvas, or somesimilar brous material, yielding and pliable in its nature. 'There areto be cords-a2 sewcd into the corners ot` the bag, and it is to be cutout and sewed up in such a manner as to make it rectangular in itsgeneral form. This gives to the bag all the advantages for stowage ofthe rectangular wooden boxes, while the yieldingnature of the materialrenders it far superior to the boxes in weight and durability, andequal, in the latter res/peet, to the old-fashioncd'leathern bags. Thebelt B which surrounds the various packages of lett-ers within the bagis combined with several movable partitions, B1, which are locked to thebelt in a peculiar manner, as hereinafter described, for the purpose ofsecuring ,together in a single parcel those letters which are destinedto a single station. The belt may be wrapped-around and sewed to thefirst or. back partition, and may be passed throughA loops or slots inthe central partitions, so' as to allow the latter to be slid easily ineither direction, as more or less letters may be included in eithercompartment. These partitions should be of thick leather, or somesimilar material, and should be provided with metal facings for theloops or slots through which the belt is to bc passed. The last or endpartition should be provided with a locking-bar, B2, pivoted to thefacingplates l) at rr, so as to swing outwardly when released from theretaining-loop El, which is vpivotcd at :el to the same plates. Thepartsure arranged so that whenl the bar I32 is closed, and secured inits position by the loop i b1, it will compress the strap or belt sothat it cannot move in either direction, as is clearly shown in iig. 3,and

the various packages between the partitions will, in this manner, beheld securely in their proper positions. A spring stud, L2, advancesbeyond the face of the plate I), and holds the loop up over the end ofthc bar B2, as shown in iig. 2. When this studis depressed below theface of the plate (by'a pcrsons thumb, for instance,) thc loop may bethrown back, as in the red line-s in g.2, and the bar will then beallowed to open for tlic reception of thc strap, as is also shown byth-e red lines in the same figure: i

The formation of the bag A must not bc confounded with a still1sole-leather borg already patented, as all use of a rigid box of anykind is hereby disclaimcd.

Having described our invention, what wc claim is v The bar B2, vthe loopb1, and the partition B1, combined and operated as herein shown anddescribed. ED. STEVENS, JOHN,A. KNIGHT.

Witn esscs:

M. RANDOLPH, Gao. I. IInnTIInI., Jr.

